US medical firm buys key Saudi stake

Riyadh, April 7, 2012

DaVita, a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), said it has acquired a controlling interest in Lehbi Care, a leading Riyadh-based kidney care company.

As per the deal, DaVita will actively manage the three Lehbi clinics in operation in Riyadh and is also planning to expand home modality options and build a vascular access center.

Lehbi Care currently treats 400 patients at three hemodialysis clinics throughout Riyadh. Patients will have greater access to treatment options and more effective care with a vascular access center and home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

“Saudi Arabia is an important market for DaVita in the Middle East,” remarked chairman and CEO Kent Thiry. “We will continue to look for areas of solid, long-term growth that are a fit and close a gap in needed services,” he noted.

As a leading provider of kidney care services in the US, DaVita has achieved clinical outcomes that have improved year-over-year for more than a decade and will share that expertise through its active management of the company, he stated.

“To have DaVita, a Fortune 500 company, as a partner and utilize their expertise is a gift to the Lehbi staff and patients,” observed Ali Mohammed Allehbi, the founder of Lehbi Care.

On the deal, DaVita chief operating officer Dennis Kogod said, “It has been exciting to develop a strong relationship with Dr Allehbi and the nurses. The collaboration between DaVita and Lehbi Care will be one where both sides gain and patients benefit.”

DaVita operates at 1,809 dialysis facilities in the US, serving approximately 142,000 patients. The company had also operated 11 outpatient dialysis centers located in three countries outside the US.-TradeArabia News Service